


Poison in My Blood

by AsMyWimseyTakesMe



Series: Bits and Bobs [5]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen, One Shot, PTSD, Prompt Fic, Shepard is very angry, Sole Survivor Shepard, UNC: Missing Marines aftermath, Violence, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 14:29:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8211919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsMyWimseyTakesMe/pseuds/AsMyWimseyTakesMe
Summary: In which Shepard finds Admiral Kahoku's Marines, deals with flashbacks of Akuze, and gets very angry.





	

**Author's Note:**

> And another prompt fic; the prompt for this one was "fury" and honestly, you know a Sole Survivor Shep would be absolutely furious in the aftermath of finding Kahoku's Marines, right?
> 
> Unbetaed, all mistakes are my own. :)

“He’s been locked in there since we came back from Edolus.”

“I know, Ash.”

“Crew’s getting antsy, LT. They know what’s up, but the aliens don’t, and Wrex is down there crowing about the fight to anyone who will listen.”

“He’s a Krogan. It’s to be expected.”

“Doesn’t mean the crew likes it, considering.”

“I understand that, but it’s Shepard’s story to tell. There’s nothing we can do but try to keep the peace.”

Shepard ignored the whispers behind his door. He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the floor. God. Another thresher maw. Another _damned_ maw and _another_ unit wiped out.

_The smell of burning flesh. Rama’s leg lying on the dirt, the ragged thigh sizzling, the rest of her dragged into the ground by the horrific worms that had risen in the dead of night. Green acid on his arm and screams in the air and painpainpainpainPAIN!_

Shepard came back to himself with a gasp. Sweat dripped into his eyes; his hands shook as he wiped it away. The chrono on his desk blinked the year—2183, not 2177, his throat closed on a sob—and the dog tags hanging from his neck bore an N7, not an N6. He grasped them and pulled in a deep, shuddering breath.

The sight of that maw sent panic shivering through him, like poison in his blood. He had frozen for a moment, the Mako’s controls locked in his grip, but Wrex had let out a bellow of pure Krogan challenge from the cannon controls and shocked him into movement. Shepard had remembered his training, remembered the maw’s documented weaknesses, and shoved every memory of that horrific night into a box. He would not lose another team.

And he hadn’t. He and Wrex and Ashley came out of the fight untouched.

Admiral Kahoku’s men, however, had not been so lucky.

Shepard swallowed. The shredded, acid-burned bodies of Kahoku’s unit hovered in his mind. Some had been missing, and Shepard knew where they now lay, knew how they had been taken—

_A lithe body wrapping around Toombs. Toombs’ strangled cry as he disappeared into the earth. The sizzle of the acid eating his clothes. Gun gun gun where was his gun!_

His fist hit the wall with a ringing _thump_ , and all sound outside his room died. His chest heaved, and rage was filtering through the fear.

Kahoku’s men had been lured to the nest. That transmitter had been placed there deliberately. There was no wreckage from a crash, no abandoned shelters, not even a _probe_ to show a human presence on Edolus.

Someone killed those Marines. The maw did the work, but someone planted that damned transmitter there knowing Alliance protocol, knowing those Marines would land practically on top of the nest, blissfully unaware of the danger below. They died before they could even get out a distress signal.

Fury subsumed fear. Shepard was thankful; he knew how to work with anger. He activated his omnitool.

“Kaidan. I know you’re out there." 

There was a moment of silence, then Kaidan’s cautious voice answered.

“Yeah, Commander. Ash and I—we’re both here.”

“Good. I need the both of you. Chief, I need you to gather Wrex, Tali, Garrus, and Liara in the briefing room. Bring Adams and Chakwas with you, but send Chakwas here first. She’ll help you out after I speak with her. I need—” Shepard flexed his hand and winced. “I need you to explain it to them. Everything. Pull up the reports on Akuze. I’ll give you all full access.”

“...you sure, Skipper?”

“It needs to be done.”

“Yes, sir.” She shut down her comm line.

“Kaidan?”

“Sir?”

“I need you to send our report to the Admiralty, then I need you to make sure Admiral Kahoku is still on the Citadel. Contact Udina, if need be, but I want to know if he’s there.”

“Aye aye, Commander.”

Shepard powered down his omnitool, then sat at his desk. Typing one-handed, he lost himself in information.

Thresher maw attacks on humans.

Distress signals and maw attacks.

Maw attacks on Alliance military.

News articles were few. He turned to Alliance Intelligence. His anger simmered as he met barrier after barrier of “Classified” and “You are unauthorized to access this file.” He was the first damned human Spectre and he couldn’t even access the fucking Alliance databases! Fucking Black Ops bullshit! He brought his fists down on the desk with a snarl of rage.

“That is enough, young man.” The calm voice startled him, and slim fingers grasped his wounded hand in a firm grip. Doctor Chakwas inspected the broken skin and crooked pinky with a faint frown.

“Really, Commander, I have quite enough to do on this ship without _this_.”

Shepard flinched at the scolding tone and sat quietly as she wrapped his hand. Chakwas bustled out the door when she finished, nearly running Kaidan over as he entered. He eyed Chakwas’ back, then Shepard’s hand as he closed the door.

“Well, lieutenant?” Shepard prompted. He rose from his chair and began to pace his small quarters.

“Report is off, and Kahoku is still on the Citadel. Joker’s already got us on course.”

“You could have simply reported that via comms.” Shepard pointed out.

“I could have,” Kaidan acknowledged, “but I figured you needed something.” He pulled a bottle of Canadian whiskey from behind his back. Shepard let out a rough bark of laughter and Kaidan gave a wry smile. He glanced curiously at the terminal, still open to the Alliance database.

“Shepard?”

“Someone set that signal deliberately, Kaidan.”

“I know. I read the report.” Kaidan placed the whiskey on the desk. His eyes were dark with anger, and blue light crackled on his fingers. “What’s the plan, Commander?”

Shepard stared past Kaidan at the terminal. “We go inform Kahoku, see what he knows, and then—” Shepard met Kaidan’s gaze, an undercurrent of rage crackling between them.

“Then, Kaidan, we’re going hunting.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Oh Shepard, how I love thee. Even when you're a little ball of homicidal rage.


End file.
